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Arrow: A.W.O.L.
' "A.W.O.L."' is the eleventh episode of season four of the superhero-action series Arrow, and is the eightieth episode of the series overall. It was directed by Charlotte Brändström with a script written by Brian Ford Sullivan and Emilio Ortega Aldrich. It fist aired on the CW Network on Wednesday, January 27th, 2016. Cast Starring Guest Starring Co-Starring Uncredited cast Notes & Trivia * Arrow was developed for television by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg. * This episode is rated TV-14. * This episode is production code number 3J5811. * This episode had a viewership of 2.778 million people upon its initial broadcast in the United States, which is down by .051 from the previous episode. It rated 1.1% in the 18-49 viewing demographic. * This episode aired in the United Kingdom on March 9th, 2016 on Sky1. * This is the first episode of Arrow directed by Charlotte Brändström. It is her only episode from season four of the series. * This is the ninth episode of Arrow written by Brian Ford Sullivan. It is his second episode from season four of the series. He previously wrote "Legends of Yesterday". * This is the fourth episode of Arrow written by Emilio Ortega Aldrich. It is his second episode from season four of the series. He previously wrote "Lost Souls". * This is the sixteenth and final appearance of Amanda Waller on the series, not including future flashback scenes. * This is one of the few episodes from season four that features a flashback sequence that does not take place on Lian Yu. Instead, it takes place in Afghanistan and involves John Diggle and Andy Diggle. * Baron Reiter appears in flashback only in this episode. Earliest chronological appearance. It is unclear whether Reiter became a member of Shadowspire, or if he was simply an accomplice to their black market drug trafficking. Allusions * The title of this episode is an acronym used by members of the military, which stands for "Absent without leave". The term could have multiple meanings relating to this episode, including Andy Diggle's abandonment of the U.S. Army to join Shadowspire, or Felicity Smoak distancing herself from Team Arrow as a result of her injury. * After giving Felicity Smoak the code name Overwatch, Oliver Queen jokingly tells her that he was going to name her Oracle, but it was already taken. Oracle is the code name of a DC Comics character named Barbara Gordon. She was once the superhero Batgirl, but was crippled following a shooting incident with the Joker. She went on to fight crime from behind a keyboard as one of the world's best computer hackers. A TV version of Oracle was presented as one of the main characters on the short-lived Birds of Prey television series, where she was played by actress Dina Meyer. * Felicity Smoak's hallucination is a callback to her time as an M.I.T. student when she had black hair and a Goth appearance. This was first presented in the season three episode, "The Secret Origin of Felicity Smoak". * An indirect reference is made to Cooper Seldon in this episode. Cooper was Felicity Smoak's boyfriend and fellow computer hacktivist. He will return to the show later this season in "Lost in the Flood". * The island of Lian Yu is referenced by Baron Reiter in this episode, who refers to it as "Purgatory". * The book that Felicity Smoak is reading is The Shining, which is a horror novel by author Stephen King. The book was adapted into a feature film directed by Stanley Kubrick in 1980 and a two-part television miniseries in 1997 starring Steven Weber. * The physicality of Felicity Smoak's Goth look in her hallucination is reminiscent of another DC Comics character, Death of the Endless, who has jet-black hair, and wears an Ankh necklace. Body count # Alan Chang - Tortured to death by Shadowspire; Eye removed. # Amanda Waller - Shot in the head and killed by Lieutenant Joyner. # Shadowspire soldier - Neck broken by John Diggle. Quotes * Oliver Queen: The doctor said your condition is permanent, and I don't think that it's healthy or productive for either of us to... live in denial, but I have seen people speed and shrink and fly. We watched a friend of ours come back from the dead. That is the world we live in now. And I will not stop searching it until we find a way to make you walk again. .... * Amanda Waller: I'm afraid you've overextended your welcome, Mister Diggle. * John Diggle: Which is A.R.G.U.S. speak for "Get the hell out of here". * Amanda Waller: You always were a quick study. .... * John Diggle: So how many evil organizations are you associated with? I'm beginning to lose count. * Andy Diggle: What are you talking about? * John Diggle: Shadowspire! Your old Army buddies are in Starling City. They tortured and killed an A.R.G.U.S. agent and abducted two others. * Andy Diggle: Look, I have nothing to do with them anymore. After I got discharged, they cut ties. They only want enlisted men. * John Diggle: How the hell could I not see this? You were with me the entire time! * Andy Diggle: Because you saw what you wanted to see. Look, you wanted to believe that the Army had straightened me out. Look, I'm your brother, but I'm not built like you. I didn't take to the military like you did. You saw the world as something to be fixed. I only saw it as broken, so I made sure I had enough to survive in it. .... * Green Arrow: Overwatch, we're on site. * Felicity Smoak: Excuse me? * Green Arrow: Well, I thought that it was time you got a code name. What do you think? * Felicity Smoak: It's perfect. * Green Arrow: Was gonna go with Oracle, but it was taken. See also External Links * * * * * * Keywords A.J. Diggle | A.R.G.U.S. | Afghanistan | Big Belly Burger | Bow and arrow | Carly Diggle | Cooper Seldon | Detective | Eye injuries | Gunshot victims | Hallucination | Lian Yu | Overwatch | Prison | Sara Diggle | Shadowspire | Shot in the head | Soldier | Star City | Star City Police Department | Torture | United States Army ---- Category:2016/Episodes